Wet Macular Degeneration in the Right Eye, Dry in Both

By edielaude

2 min read

I diagnosed myself with wet macular in the right eye. When I had cataracts removed years ago (I am 87) my doctor diagnosed me with dry AMD. However, she told me of the possibility of having wet AMD and she gave me a grid and told me to put it on my fridge and test my eyes every day. Which I did.

I noticed some shadows

I moved from one state to another 4 years ago and took my grid with me and continued to check my eyes. Last December I noticed a change in my right eye, some shadows. I called my GP and asked him to refer me to a specialist of the retina. He said that I had to come for a visit first. Before going to see the GP I called my medicare insurance and asked them to find me a good retina specialist nearby and they did. I called them and they said they took my medicare. Unfortunately, the receptionist at the specialist was not trained very well. I could not make her understand that If I had wet AMD the doctor should seem right away. I had to wait two weeks. When I saw the specialist he was astonished that I had diagnosed myself. He said most patients do not follow instructions that well especially for years.

Terrified I will move my eye during the injection

He examined my right eye and sure enough. It was urgent he said I could wait a couple of days but no more. I got a shot two days later. Now I am going to get #8 this Friday and as I said I am terrified that I will move the eye when it is time to get the shot.

I spend three or four days before the injection practicing holding my right eye all the way to the left and count to 25. Actually the doctor only takes 7 or 8 seconds to give the shot. Then when I get home for 7 to 10 hours tears run down my face all the way to my neck.

Horrible pain from the iodine

The pain is horrible it feels like boulders are under the lids. This is caused by the product the doctor uses to prevent infection. It contains iodine and no matter how much he rinses the area with saline solutions it always hurts that much the first day. Lucky for me I do react well to the injections and the shots are getting spaced out and eventually I might get a shot only once every 3 months or not at all.

This is my story

I will have to see the doctor every 3 months forever it seems but may not get a shot every time. This is my story. When I read all the other stories I feel quite humble. Some of you have much worse experiences than mine. I shiver when I read that some have had 80 shots. I send all of you my love and will be thinking warm thoughts for all of you

Edie Laude

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Sharon Moore Moderator
Thank you for sharing your story. It is remarkable that you recognized the changes and sought treatment quickky. Your experience with the injections sounds so much like my sisters. She dreads the injections so much she has had a panic attack. I feel confident you will handle the injections well. Good luck to you. Sharon Moore ,Advocate 
1. edielaude Member
 Thank you for your comments. As of today I am practicing holding my eye to the left without moving for a count of 25. That is all I can do to alleviate my fears. Take care Edie
mabeatson79 Member
I started myself on PreserVision capsules when I learned that I had a little macular in one of my eyes. The first bottle went fine. I bought the second bottle from COSTCO, the color of the capsules were now burgandy. They are PRESERVISION ARIDS 2. I am having a problem with nausua everytime I take one. I try to make sure I have eaten something before taking it, but doesn't matter. The wave of nausua lasts about 10 minutes. I do not throw up, just have that yucky feeling that it is going to happen any minute in my throat, then it passes. I take other Vitamins, D3, E, OMEGA 3, B-12, along with my blood pressure pill and bladder pill. All of these I take at one time - no problem with nausua, but if I throw that PreserVision in there, oh boy! Any suggestions for another brand that might work?
1. Cora Lyn Sears Moderator
 It might be the amount of zinc, <inline-mention user-id="3128224" username="mabeatson79"/> . Some of our members have found that switching to a lower or no zinc product made all the difference. They are now available with 0 mg or 25 mg. Also, know that the AREDS are only for certain stages of macular degeneration. Hope this helps and please let us know if you try it. Cora Lyn, <a href='https://maculardegeneration.net' target='_blank'>https://maculardegeneration.net</a> Team Member
2. mabeatson79 Member
 Thank you very much for your reply. I will go to the drugstore and see what I can find. PreserVision does have 40 mg of zinc and one other vitamin that I take has 10 mg which has never bothered me. I take B-12, D3, E-400mg, Omega 3. I figured I may have enough zinc, but when I lthrow PreserVision in that mix with 40 mg of zinc, I get nausuated within 30-45 minutes.